System of electrical distribution by vapor-converters.



P. C. HEWITT.

3YSTEM OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION BY VAPOR CONVERTERS.

APPLlGATION FILED IEB.23, 1906.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

P. 0. HEWITT. SYSTEM OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION BY VAPOR CONVERTERS.

.AIIPIIGATION YILED FEB.23, 1906.

1,1 10,554, Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F4:- cm w l-witness UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER. COOPER HEWITT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY ASSIGNMENTS, TO COOPER HEWITT. ELECTRIC CO., OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SYSTEM or ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION BY vAPoR-couvnn'rERsf To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Pn'rnnCoornn HEwrrr,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York, county of New York State. of New York,,have invented certain new.

and useful Improvements in S-ystems of Electrical Distribution by Vapor-Converters, of which the following is a specification.

Systemsof electrical distribution depending for the supply of direct'current translating devices upon vapor converters interposed between the direct current side of the.

system and a source of alternating current are liable to get out of order or become inopcrative through the failure of one or more. of the vapor converters forming part of the system. To prevent the evil effects of such a happening,.I have invented what I have called a self-substitutingconverter and this has been described and shown in my application number 207,756, filed May 13, 1904.

The present system is'much more highly elaborated than the earlier one and provides for a number of conditions which were not providedfor by the earlier invention;

The present inventionwill be understood by reference-to the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1 and 2 are diagrams of circuits and apparatus adapted to assist in carrying out my invention.

.In the drawings, 1 and 2 are 'maincircuit wires leading from the terminals of an auto- .transformer, 3 and 4, which transformer is itself connected with leads, 5 and (3, extendin g from a main alternating current source (not shown). The conductors 1 and 2 carry alternating current which is to be supplied to a circuit. 7, leading through an inductance, 8, and a resistance, 9, or through any suitable translating devices'to an intermediate point in the transformer 34. The two sides of the system'thus described are connected with each other through vapor converters, 1O, 11, 12 and 13 (see 'Fig. 1). These vapor converters are of the type now well-known in the arts and in general the preferred form of such converters consists of a container, 14, of glass or other suitable Specitlcation of Iietters Patent. Patented s'ept, 1 5, 1914 Application filed February 23, 1906. serial 1101302343.

tive electrodes 16 and 17 are connected, re spectively, to the conductors 1 and 2'while the negative electrode-15 is joined ,to the return circuit through various devices presently to be set forth. One such device is the magnet, 18, provided withtivo arma.

tures, 19 and 20, the said armaturesbeing normally retracted by springs, 21 and 2:5,

respectively. Another of the devices in the lead from the negative electrode -15 ofthe' converter 10 is 'a second magnet, 23, :1156

having two armatures, Q4 'and 25, the same-"- bemg retracted, respectively by springs,

- and 27.

The connections. described. are t osef for the particular converter 10', those'fo'r. the

converter 11 being somewhat different. For example, the conductor 28 leading from the negative electrode 15 of the converter 11 extends to a backstop, 29,":1gainst which the i armature 19 is .adaptedqto rest, while a branch, 30, from the conductor. 28 extends to a front stop, 31, forxthe arinature 20.

Another backstop, 32, for the armature 19 and another frontstop', 33, for the-armature 20 are connected by a conductor, 34, with a conductor, 35, common to the circuits leading from the negative electrodes of both the converter 10 and the converter 11. the armature 19 is retracted, the two backstops, 29 and 32 .are connected-thereby and a circuit through 28 and 34 is'completed. On the other hand. a similar completion of the same circuit takes place in a different way when the armature 20 is drawn forward against the frontstops.

Another set of connections is illustrated at the right as associated with the converters 12 and 13. Taking 12, "for example, the conductor 36 leading from its negative electrode 15 passes through a magnet, 37. hav ing two armatures, 38 and 39, arranged with respect to backstops, 4Qfand 41, and frontstops, 42 and 43, respectively. in just the same way that the armatures 19' and 20 are related to the'backstops 29 and 32 and the frontstops 31 and 33,,respectively.= There are also present the retractile springs, 44 and 45, for the respective armatures 38 and 39. Beyond the magnet 37 the conductor 36 extends to a backstop, 46, for the armature, 24. while a. branch, 47, from the conductor 36 leads to a frontstop, 48, for the armature 25. The other backstop 49 and the other front- When stop, 50, are connected to a conductor, 51,

- joined to the return side of the circuit 7.

The connections from the negative electrode of the converter '13, at least as far ,as the point where. the common circuit conductor 36 isjoined by the branch conductor shown at 52, are perfectly clear in view of' the exactly similar circuits shown and described in connection with the converter 11.

Beyond the point named; that is to say, the.

, tical with those shown and described inconnection with the converter 12. Now, let it be assumed that the converter marked 10 in Fig. I -is put into operationbyany suit- .able means for starting or that the conditions are suclrthat when ten'amperes are flowing through the circuit, 7, this converter will itself automatically start. When started, and running on ten amperes, the magnet 18- attracts its armature 19 and draws it from the backstops 29 and 32 thereby cutting out the con erter 11 whichwill not be cut' in aga n .Ultll for some reason the current in the system 1" alls below ten amperes, thereby releasing the armature 19 until it falls against the backstcps or. until the current is increased, say, to twenty-one amperesf or to any other predetermined number greater than ten, thereby attracting the armature :20 and connecting the said armature with the frontstops 31 and This would throw into circuitthe coz'm-rzr-r 11 which would then be in a condition to operate. Now, we may arrange the conditions so that some in tc'rmediate current represented, say, by eleven ampercs will cut in the converter 1:! by the action or the magnet '23 drawing up the armature and drawing down th-tarmature 9.4. At the same time, the magnet .37 may be assumed to have cut-out the converter 13 by drawing down the armature 3 whereas the said converter will not be cut in again until the armature falls back and 43. It will be understood that the mag net 23 does not operate either of its armalures until at lcast'eleven amperes are pass ing through the system, but that ten amperus are sutlicient to cause the magnet 18 to operate its armature 19. \Vhen eleven ampcres begin to flow the armature 2d of the magnet 23 is dra'wn down and when twenty-one ampercs flow through the circuit the armaturcs 20, .25 and 39 are all actuated and the converters 11 and 13 are cut in. It. will be further understood that if at eleven, amperes either the converter 10 or the con erter 12 breaks then the converter 11 or the converter 1?, is cut in, or both, by

mug furthf 'ass ume that the spring 72 is'of s ,c

fluence of p In Fig. 2 I show other means for rendering effective the ditferential action at the various magnets. Here I, illustrate a con-, verter, 60, having positive electr'odes,'61 and 62, and a negative electrode, 63, as being joined between supply wires or conductors 1 and 2 and aconsumption system connected with a wire 71. The switching'operation is'perforni'ed by a magnet, 6t, having a single armature,- 5, :normally withdrawn by a rctractile spring, 66. The backstops, 67

.and 68, and the frontstops,69 and 70,'correspond essentiallytc. the stops illustrated, for example, in F ig. I at 29 and 32 on the one hand, and 31 and33 on'the other, In so the path of the downward movementof the armature 65.I apl ace. a spring, 72, of considerable resistance which resistance must ovcrcome'to" a. degree before the armature will' make contact-with the front stops, 69 and 70.

\Ve may nowassume thatfthe spring 66 willbe stretched ogr estended under the in; Iluence of say to mper'esof current,"'there by breaking .the connectionsiat tfland 68, for cutting iout ,converteFKnot shown) having the S5 nections with the supply circuit as converter marked 60, and weient rigidity to prevent contact between the. frontstops," 369 andflo -under' the inmall'egamperage. than twentyone amperes. Thaia similar effect is produced by the. ingle armature 65 and the sprin s 66 and 72 as were produced in the embodiment illustrated .in Fig. '1'.-by the double 'armatures' and; their respective It will be understood that other. variations from thetypeiillust rated in Fig. 1 may be made without departmgfrom the essential spirit of the preserit invention.

It IS understood ithat the number of amperes here given'i's purely illustrative, and should in no way limit this invention. It may be noted that by the arrangement shown herein the various magnet coils, as 18, 23, and 37 being in the direct current leads of the rectifiers, a favorably located sustaining action is obtained and the functions of the coil, 8, assisted. Thelocation of an inductive coil in the cathode lead of a rectifier is very.often the most effective and practical means for bridging the zero point of an alternating supply in a vapor rectifier.

The-operation of applicants device may be summarized as follows. In Fig. 1 under conditions in which current is less than a certain minimum, as for example 10 am- 12 peres in some particular case, all the r ect1-.

fiers will be connected in multiple in virtue of the release of the' levers 24, 19 and 38.

With a somewhat larger current all the rectifiers, except 10, will be, cut out of circuit .and 39 throwing in enough rectifiers to maintain the current in any particular rectifier within the safe'limit therefor, all as above described. In other words at any time when thecurrentin either of the coils 23, 18 or 37 remains above the upper limit chosen, additional rectifiers will be thrown in parallel, enough rectifiers operating to maintain current in each coil below the upper'limit. While in case current falls be low the lower'limit, say 10 amperes, as in case of a broken bulb, additional rectifiers are automatically thrown in by the release of the armatures 24, 19 and 38 by magnets 23', 1 8 and-37 respectively until a serviceable rectifier is .found which will restore the current value above the lower minimum. In

.Fig. 2 the same operation is found,a single -armature, however, serving to close and open the .severalcircuits of Fig. 1 as utilized in connection with the rectifiers 10 and 12. The same actionof cutting in and out in responseto currents rising above the upper minimum or-falling below the lower will result.

causing the cessation of current in one group of said rcctifiers to connect the direct current main from a second group of rectifiers to the work circuit, together with means in each of the above named groups whereby a cessation of current in one rectifier connects the lead of the direct current electrode of another rectifier in the same group to the direct current bus bars, all of said means being located in the port-ion of the system traversed b direct current.

2. The combination with a source of alternating current, a plurality of mercury vapor rectifiers fed from said source, and a common direct current work circuit fed by the said rectifiers, of means for connecting the direct current lead of one of said rectifiers to the work circuit when the rectified current of another rectifier is: less than one limiting current value or greater than a second limiting current value, said means being located in the lead of the direct current electrode of the last named converter.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 20th day of February A. D. 1906.

PETER COOPER Witnesses:

WM. H. CAPEL, THOS. H. BROWN. 

